LOS ANGELES, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- In response to multiple U.S. media reports that 25 bodies from the Southern California boat fire have been found, the County of Santa Barbara confirmed Monday night that there are more victims.

Verification will be made by the County Coroner's Bureau with additional information to be released at a press conference on Tuesday morning, according to the County of Santa Barbara.

The Associated Press reported earlier that the Coast Guard said 25 people who died in the boat fire have been located and nine people remain unaccounted for. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times also quoted Coast Guard officials as saying that at least 15 bodies have been found.

Local officials said Monday afternoon that eight people have been confirmed dead and four bodies were recovered by authorities, with 26 people still missing.

The four bodies were identified as two adult males and two adult females, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown told a press briefing. He said rescue and recovery efforts have located four additional victims on the ocean floor near the vessel, and a diving team is working in the water attempting to recover their remains.

He confirmed that the 75-foot (about 23-meter), three-story commercial diving vessel erupted into flames at approximately 3:15 a.m. (1015 GMT) Monday and sunk at 7:20 a.m. (1420 GMT), after a determined effort by the Coast Guard and Ventura County Fire Department fire fighters to quench the blaze. The cause of the fatal fire is still unknown.

He also reported that the sunken craft was still dangerously unstable, hindering the search and rescue operation and making it more dangerous and time consuming for the Coast Guard rescue divers on the scene.

The cause of the incident is under investigation and names are being withheld pending notification of kin.

In a phone interview with Xinhua, Lieutenant Erik Rainey of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office said they are initiating a "death investigation."

Intense search and rescue efforts will go on all day and night, said U.S. Coast Guard Los Angeles-Long Beach Sector Commander Captain Monica Rochester, while also preparing everyone for the worst.

"We all should be prepared to move into the worst outcome," Rochester told reporters.

"Our hearts are with the families and loved ones affected by this tragic incident. As we wait to hear more, we are eternally grateful for our heroic first responders that are on site -- working to ensure every individual is found," read a statement shared by Californian Governor Gavin Newsom on Twitter regarding the boat fire.

The Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles confirmed with Xinhua that there was no report of Chinese citizens on the boat. Enditem

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